As suspected, it doesn't sound like Greg Oden will be ready for the beginning of the NBA season. At Portland's media day, he said simply: "I won't be there opening night." Bummer.

Oden talked at Blazer media day about having "good days and bad days" with his injured left knee. If you forget, he underwent surgery on a fractured left patella last December. And I guess you could say recovery has been somewhat slow.

For whatever reason, Oden just can't seem to get healthy. Whether it's just something like patellar tendinitis or there's a larger issue involved, Oden's got knee problems. And that's not good for a seven foot big man.

It's definitely not over for Oden and he may just need some extra rest and rehab. Remember, he's just 22 and plenty of players have come back through leg and knee injuries. The fear is that there's something substantial, something with long-term effects in there. The Blazers are doing the right thing and taking everything slow. Oden says he won't be ready for opening night, but the reality may be he's not ready until December or January.

Patellar tendinitis is sometimes referred to as "jumper's knee" and is common to players in a sport that demands lots of jumping. You know, kind of like basketball. Or compeitive jump-roping. But jumper's knee can be caused by overuse, muscular imbalance, misalignment of leg bones or being overweight, among a number of other things.

For Oden, some of those issues are probably in play, but it didn't list one that applies: bad luck.

The Commercial Appeal 's Ron Tillery has a look at five things to watch during Grizzlies training camp, and Mike Conley is the big one. The Grizzlies have eliminated all competition for the point guard job in an effort to give him the confidence to be the player they need him to be. Which isn't really the player he's been for the duration of his career.

Guyism has an awesome run-down of the new technical foul violations , as demonstrated by Rasheed Wallace. Here's a question: How's the league going to make up for the loss of revenue with 'Sheed retiring? That's a lot of fine money going out the door. Could it be that's the reason for the expanded tech rules? Conspiracy! (Note: Not a real conspiracy.)

Sam Amick at FanHouse has another interesting story, as he spoke with Erick Dampier and found out Damp has expanded his list of prospective teams , with Portland, Toronto, and Milwaukee joining the list of teams he's considering. Portland's an interesting option, considering they have Greg Oden, Marcus Camby, and Joel Przybilla on roster, even with the injuries to the first two. Would be quite a statement if Portland brought in Dampier.

NIUBall.com, which covers the Chinese leagues, reports via HoopChina.com that either Von Wafer, Rafer Alston, or both could be headed to China . You realize Rafer Alston was starting for a Finals team a year and a half ago? Geez, talk about a plummet.

Among the many, many quotes that Shaq gave ESPN Boston , he says that this is the first time in his career he doesn't have to hold anyone's hand, nor have anyone hold his. Which is kind of ridiculous considering the level to which Dwyane Wade shouldered the load in Miami, having already made the playoffs. And I think it's hard to argue he had to hold James' hand. And he actually damaged Amar'e Stoudemire's confidence to a large degree. But hey, whatever makes the big guy feel good about himself. Also, apparently Glen "Big Baby" Davis is considered a "great player" by O'Neal. ... 'Kay.

Disney is now sponsoring Amway Arena , where the Magic now play. ESPN is owned by Disney. Maybe now you'll see Orlando getting the kind of attention respect that Boston and Cleveland have enjoyed from ESPN for... "BREAKING NEWS! The Miami Heat have gone to dinner together! We take you there live!"

One day, some day, Greg Oden will be fully healthy. He has to, right? Because as of now, it doesn't sound like he is.

Via BlazersEdge, Trail Blazer Director of College Scouting Chad Buchanan told KGW's Joe Becker on Wednesday that he hopes Greg Oden is able to play "60-65" games during the 2010-2011 NBA season. Bummer sauce.

"People want Greg to be ready at the start of the season... Looking long term, we need everyone healthy, clicking together, come March, April and into May. If we can get Greg to play 60-65 games this year and continue the development curve he was on before he got injured last year, I think we'll have a chance to have some success in the playoffs, this season," Buchanan said.

In other words, he's not ready. And by the sound of it, they don't really know when he will be. The Blazers have already said he's "progressing" but that's just lip service any organization gives after an injury. A player could have his leg amputated and management would say his recovery is going as planned and he's "progressing."

If you forgot, Oden basically broke his knee after falling awkwardly 21 games into last season. He missed the remainder of the year and has spent the summer trying to rehab. But this is coming after microfracture surgery the year before on his other knee. So while the Blazers stick to a plan of patience, Oden's future may have already been decided. Let's hope not.

However, he's still young. He's only 22. And the Blazers are smart to move things along slowly. There's no reason to try and rush him to be ready for October when Portland will actually need him later. So if that means he's out until December, so be it. Yao Ming is being put on a basketbal pitch count, so why can't Oden be on a game count?

Regardless of that though, this is another disappointing turn for not only Oden, but Blazer fans who are eager to have him healthy for a full season. Provided he makes it through this season alive, they'll just have to wait another year.

All 30 teams are getting new jerseys: "The NBA will truck in several stars to deliver its lighter and quicker-drying uniforms in a look that Adidas says will help players run faster, jump higher and stay fresher starting in the 2010-11 season . Dwight Howard, Brook Lopez, Jordan Farmar, Wilson Chandler and Toney Douglas will deliver the limited-edition jerseys from an armored truck parked outside of NBA Store in Manhattan at 11 a.m. ET. The NBA Revolution 30 uniforms are 30% lighter and dry twice as fast, says Travis Blasingame, Adidas' global director of basketball apparel, in an interview with USA TODAY. "

Would you deal Joakim Noah for Carmelo Anthony? Henry Abbott of TrueHoop looks: "Those with knowledge of the talks say the Bulls would love to have Anthony. But the Nuggets want the conversation to begin with Joakim Noah. Word is that a package of Noah and Deng would get the deal done. If that's the case, the Bulls are a turning point in their franchise history, with a tough decision to make."

Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle: "Daryl Morey's attempts to swing a deal for Carmelo Anthony and to sign Erick Dampier should offer a pretty strong rebuttal to those that flooded the blog with the argument that the move to trade Trevor Ariza for Courtney Lee was just for cost-savings. The Rockets saved $10 million in salary and luxury tax with that move. If they sign Dampier, that would cost $4 million in tax and salary. A deal for Anthony would likely use a chunk of the trade exception, costing about $3.4 million in tax and salary if for Renaldo Balkman or $7.9 million if for Chris Andersen. If the Rockets get their way, they will be spending close to what they would have been spending had they just kept Ariza and stood pat, or more than they were going to spend before the trade. That deal, however, could be a key to a deal for Anthony because that would be how the Rockets can offer the cost-savings the Nuggets demand."

Piston Powered asks if Chauncey Billups' nickname is well-deserved: "Billups is certainly a player I wouldn’t mind having the ball in the waning moments of a close game. He’s a good decision maker, adept at drawing contact, he’s not scared of the taking the shot and he doesn’t turn it over much. But when he was on the Pistons, the general assumption became, “Billups has to get the ball late in close games.” Statistics show that the Pistons had other options on their team — Prince and Hamilton — who were much better bets than Billups to knock down that game winner if it was needed. I love everything about Billups’ game. But Mr. Big Shot is a myth."

Portland loathes expectations. Expected to compete for the West title? Down in a burning wreckage of knee bones and perimeter shooting. Unable to hold on to the playoffs? Say hi to a massive winning streak to glide into the playoffs. They are never predictable, that's for certain. As we continue our Preseason Primers , we take a look at the noble hope of the Northwest, and if this is finally the season when things don't go wrong for the Blazers. Portland Trailblazers

Player to watch:Greg Oden. Guy's gotta get healthy sometime, right? Oden has been and remains the missing piece of the puzzle for the Blazers, even with the addition of Marcus Camby. If Oden can reach a significant portion of his massive untapped potential, he could be a difference maker for the Blazers, completing the team that's been constructed over the past five years. It's unknown if Oden will even be available for camp, or how much he'll be participating. But even that says something. Oden's got to bounce back hard, and get back to where he showed flashes last year prior to the injury. That's the only way the Blazers can make the jump they need to this year.

Chemistry quiz: Who's the ticking time bomb? That's the question, and it's multiple choice, with several "A and B and C" type choices. Last year, Andre Miller and Nat McMillan blew up at one another during a low point. The two reconciled things and seem to be on better ground, but there's been consistent trade chatter involving Miller since he was signed as a marquee free agent in 2009. And that's just the start! Travis Outlaw and Steve Blake, two longtime Blazers were traded last year, along with Martell Webster before this year's draft. And, oh, yeah, Rudy Fernandez is involved in a messy, gross situation where he's demanding a trade and talking about sitting out the next season , even after rejecting a trade to New Orleans. This is all before we get into LaMarcus Aldridge's longterm problems with the club, and the attention showered on Greg Oden constantly. That said, McMillan has done a tremendous job keeping the team together and helped lead them to the playoffs last year. If he can keep them together this year, it'll be another award-worthy performance.

Injury watch: Ha. Ha ha ha. Hahahahahaha. Sorry. That's mean.

Well, let's see. Brandon Roy struggled with an ankle towards the end of last year, but that should be fine. Greg Oden is recovering from a broken patella, slowly. Joel Przybilla also broke his patella and tore ligaments, then reinjued it in the shower. Marcus Camby is no spring chicken. This team is one bad turn, a helicopter and a few tents from becoming a M*A*S*H* unit. If any team is worthy of karmic bonuses resulting in a clean bill of health this year, it's Portland. Camp battles: Center's going to be a big one throughout the year, but with Oden not near 100% by any stretch of the imagination, Camby has it on lockdown. Nicolas Batum continues to be one of the better developing small forwards in the league, and his overall play should keep him locked in above the rookie Babbitt. An interesting one? Point guard. Miller was terrific at points last year for the Blazers, but when he wasn't, Jerryd Bayless was increasingly better. Bayless is a fierce competitor. If he were to make a significant jump, that one could get ugly really quick.

Biggest strength: Depth and Brandon Roy. That's the formula, which is why the injuries const them so much last year. Additionally, Brandon Roy's going to have to climb back out of the pool and onto the pavement of great players after a downturn last season. The Blazers absolutely must have Roy as a top ten player in the league if they're going to compete for the Western Conference Finals, along with all the other things they need to happen. But Roy has shown he can do it, and they still have considerable depth, arguably more, with Matthews to give Roy a breather, and young talent mixed in with the vets.

Glaring weakness: You mean, besides spending more times on their backs than Luke Walton? (You thought I was going for a sex joke there, didn't you?) The team's gotta stay healthy, which isn't something they can avoid, outside of moving to Phoenix and hiring their training staff. On the floor, the offense can stagnate considerably when Roy's not on the floor outside of the handful of nights where Miller goes nova. The other players need to develop into go-to scorers, at least a few. LaMarcus Aldridge in particular has had low expectations which he's exceeded yet not received credit for the last few years, but now he's going to have to be a big-time power forward for the Blazers. If he doesn't show he can get to the next level, he may find himself on the block as the Blazers look for the missing piece.

Of all the endorsement opportunities you can get, I don't want Nike. Nor do I want Pepsi or Coke or McDonalds. No, I want the same endorsement op that Carl Landry just got. La-Z-Boy . Now that's a quality endorsement. I bet he has a La-Z-Boy in each and every room in his house. I wonder if he gets the ones with the cupholders and refrigerators underneath. Are they custom-sized for his frame? So many questions.

There were a lot of questions about the Bobcat's decision to waive Erick Dampier's crazy valuable $13 million expiring non-guaranteed contract. Turns out the contract is guaranteed if Dampier is injured , which means the Bobcats would be on the hook for the $13 million, and that was a risk they simply couldn't afford to take.

Tim Duncan is getting up there in years. That impacts his ability to stay on the floor, especially given how many games he's played with playoffs included. But it appears he's reacted that situation by losing some weight, as Greg Popovich told reporters Thursday that Duncan has shown up for camp slimmer and faster than in years past, this after showing up last year 15 lbs. lighter. That move could partially be based on the improved depth the Spurs have, which means Duncan doesn't have to play the part of traditional big-man center, especially with Tiago Splitter on board. It's possible Duncan could be playing more in traditional power forward sets for the Spurs this year.

Jon Scheyer is going to camp with the Jazz. This concludes your "most appropriate undrafted free agent signing" of the week.

Monta Elliswants to make things work with Stephen Curry, and regrets his comments about the rook last year. There's a thought that the two can coexist, but if that's going to happen, someone's going to have to determine a pecking order. And the better Ellis gets, the more complicated that issue comes, and that's before we factor in David Lee. Still, it's good to see Ellis recognizes his failure to lead last year.

The Celticsopted for the status quo this year , but they had options. It's a difficult question that Danny Ainge faces, the question of when exactly to pull the plug and begin the move towards the future. That's a cliff no one wants to jump off, which is why so many are shoved off.

Greg Oden is like some sort of really powerful Magic The Gathering card . I tend to think of him more like one of those really difficult to unlock video game secrets that when you unlock it, really isn't that cool anyway. It's cool, it's just not worth the work you did to get there.

If the Blazers can get (and stay) healthy, how good can they be?

Pretty darn good. Next question.

(What's that? I need to take 800 or so more words to explain why? OK then.)

Last season's trials for the Blazers are well documented. Greg Oden , Joel Pryzbilla , Rudy Fernandez, Brandon Roy, NicBatum - they all missed a significant amount of time. That's like, the whole team right there.

Yet they still won 50 games and finished seventh in the West. When you start looking at old box scores from last season and some of the lineups Portland played 20, 25 and even 30 minutes a night with, it really shows you what a remarkable job Nate McMillan did last season holding it all together.

Now imagine them all healthy, all clicking for a full 82. I realize that's basically impossible to picture because, you know, Greg Oden is on the team, but humor me.

Pryzbilla may be out until December, but assuming he comes back fully healthy, Portland's front line is as stout as they come. Oden , Pryzbilla , LaMarcus Aldridge and Marcus Camby for a four-man rotation on the blocks.

The addition of Wesley Matthews is no small thing, especially with the whole Rudy Fernandez situation flapping out in the wind. If anything, Matthews makes Fernandez somewhat dispensable. Brandon Roy now has a capable scorer to stand with him on the wing, plus Matthews is a nice wing defender.

Andre Miller looked re-energized last season when he had to carry the load for Portland, JerrydBayless has his moments and they have a bonafide stopper in NicBatum . Rookies Luke Babbitt and Eliot Williams a nice adds, though they may not get a ton of time, unless, well, last season happens again. But this time, Portland's at least got a little more depth and it might not have to scramble to sign Juwan Howard's 65-year-old body.

The window in Northwest is still wide open. The Thunder might enter the season as the favorites for the division, but they're young and some feel might be setting up for a bit of a disappointment. Hey, it's what happened to Portland last season.

Then of course Denver could be transitioning without Carmelo Anthony, Utah has some questions and then there's Minnesota.

Winning over 50 isn't out of the question. Heck, it's probably a strong possibility.

Don't underestimate the value of a healthy Oden for a full season. Portland hasn't yet had a chance to experience that. Before he went down last year, the Blazers were 13-8 and were only giving up 90.7 points per game. After Oden was hurt, the Blazers gave up 96.2 the remaining 61 games. His defensive impact is definitely important.

Plus, this team is still young. The average age is under 25, even with old dogs like Miller and Camby on the roster. For the most part, the Blazers are a rising, building unit. Two years ago, they were the youthful darlings before Oklahoma City stole their thunder (I realize that was terrible), but the reality is, this team isn't filled out yet. Windows in the West don't stay open for long, but it's still open for Portland.

The best part of last season was there wasn't any crying. There wasn't any whining. The excuses were there and this team still won 50 games and made it into the postseason. In terms of character and willpower, that says something. At least to me.

Injuries happen. It's life in professional sports. But not every year do you see five or six significant injuries that cause starters to miss multiple games. That's what Portland went through last season.

If this team is healthy for a full 82, are they legit contenders? Possibly. Outside of one team at the top, the West's door is open. The talent is certainly on the roster and they've proven they can win. Injuries make for an easy excuse a lot of times, but sometimes it's just real.

The Blazers at full tilt for an entire season? Yep, I'd say they're pretty good.

When Kevin Durant was lighting up the Big 12 at Texas, I was in college at a different Big 12 school. I saw him play twice in person, and a whole bunch more because of regional TV coverage.

At that time, I had no idea what advanced basketball metrics were. I had no idea what eFG % or rebound rate was. If you asked me what "pace" was, I'd tell you that's the thing I do when I talk on the phone. I know those things now, but when I watched Durant tear apart the Big 12, I didn't need them to know that he was an other-worldly basketball talent. It was pretty stinking obvious to the uneducated naked eye that Kevin Durant could hoop.

So after both Durant and Greg Oden decided to leave college for the NBA draft, the debate over who Portland should take kicked into high gear. The traditional big man that could rebound and protect the rim for you and possibly be the bedrock for a championship team or the scoring savant that might have one of the finest statistical careers in the history of the game. Tough choice right there. And one that needed more information than just an uneducated eye test.

That's where the intangibles in basketball come in to play. You know, things like working out a player, checking his vertical leap, his speed running the court and how strong he is. Everyone freaked when Durant could put up 185 pounds a single time as if it was a sign he'd never be able to take contact in the lane or muscle in a 3-point play. But another measurement used was the exact thing casual folks like me didn't even know existed at the time: advanced metrics.

And lining up Durant versus Oden statistically, any way you sliced them, just wasn't fair. Durant's nightly box score was like looking at a work of art. It commonly read something like 11-17, 31 points, 14 rebounds, five assists. Oden on the other hand (who was playing without his dominant right hand, mind you) was a little rougher. A usual night for him was 12 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks. Plug those numbers in to any formula and it'll spit out something saying that Kevin Durant is the better basketball player.

Which is exactly what the Blazers' long time statistical consultant Jeff Ma did. And what did his numbers say? Take Durant.

"If people that use analytics to predict player performance in the NBA, using performance analytics, meaning what they did in college, and they tell you they had Oden ranked higher than Durant, they are full of crap," Ma told Ben Golliver of BlazersEdge in an interview. "There are very few statistical measures that would have rated Oden's system in college better than Durant's. Oden was injured his entire career, that one season at Ohio State. He had to shoot free throws left handed, was not efficient, didn't have a great statistical season.

"Our numbers absolutely said they should pick Durant. It wasn't even close."

No spoiler alert needed, we all know what happened next. The Blazers selected Oden No. 1 overall, Durant went to the Sonics-now-Thunder and just like the Sonics move from the Pacific Northwest, both of their careers headed in entirely different directions. Durant finished last season second in the MVP voting and became the league's youngest scoring champ ever. Oden has played in only 82 games total over his first three years in the NBA.

Looks like the stat guy was right, right?

Well, I guess so, but not in that way.

One large misconception with advanced metrics is that they are the end-all, be-all in discussions. Because a guy has this plus/minus or that PER doesn't mean he's not a good basketball player. It's just part of the overall equation in evaluating talent. Ma goes on and tells Golliver exactly that:

"But that kind of decision is never that cut and dry. I would never want the Blazers to make the decision so cut and dry. The thinking they had was that this elite center is very rare and the ability to get that guy was staring them in the face and that's what they went after. The sad thing is that when you ignore the numbers, the numbers often tell you something regardless of what you're ignoring. The numbers in this case were ignored because Oden was hurt but what have we seen in Oden's career? A propensity to get hurt."

That's the rub right there. The numbers were altered by Oden's injury-plagued freshman season at Ohio State. And as Ma says, Oden has become a bit injury prone. But how could you possibly predict that? What does a broken wrist have to do with a busted knee? Nothing, in fact. Except that they both require a little bad luck, something Oden has had a lot of.

Oden was the "right" choice for Portland. He had the look of a cornerstone big man that you could build a championship caliber team around. The Blazers had scorers - they didn't feel they needed Durant. They needed that mythical big man in the middle. And you know what? Oden is just 22 years old (insert joke here about how old he looks) and nobody says it's over for him yet. He's still got time to prove Kevin Pritchard right, even if it's too late for Pritchard in Portland. Before his injury last season, he was looking pretty darn excellent. Now is he the caliber player Kevin Durant is? Probably not, but the Blazers probably knew that already. They weren't trying to draft an all-time great. They were trying to find someone to help them win.

The more Durant does, the worse Oden looks. It's not really fair, but that's the way it is. Call it Sam Bowie Syndrome if you want, call it Oden a bust, but it's reality. We have no idea what Durant's ceiling is, even after three stellar years. The roof may have already been placed on Oden's career.

Ma mentions that he figures two-thirds of general managers preferred Oden to Durant in the 2007 draft. Most everyone still agrees that Oden was the right choice. Now if Portland had to do it over, I'm sure they'd take Durant. But not just because the numbers said so. Because hindsight is, well, you know.